DISCLAIMER: I don't own digimon. Toei Animation and Fox do, as far as I know.

~*~

Chapter 7

The landing was better this time; Rika stayed on her feet. Renamon appeared next to her. Ryo was off to her right, but a little purple dinosaur had replaced Cyberdramon.

"Who's that?" She asked as the dinosaur blinked at his new surroundings.

Ryo patted the stubby horn on the digimon's head. "This is Monodramon. The last of his energy must have been sucked up by the data stream." He knelt down and rubbed Monodramon's back. "Don't worry, buddy, we'll have you eating properly again."

Rika looked around her. "Hey, isn't that the rock we were all supposed to meet at? We're near where we started!"

Sure enough, Rika soon saw the other tamers running as a group towards them.

"Oh my God," she breathed, the situation having just sunk in. "We're back, they're here, we're going home! No more coconuts!"

Ryo laughed and Rika beamed back at him. Their eyes met and for an eternal moment were locked on each other. Rika could feel her pulse quickening. She was sure that her stomach was filled with butterflies, and they were spreading to her fingers and toes. This was definitely a new feeling.

The sunshine in his eyes is melting the ice around your heart. She blushed as she thought this. It sounded mushy and poetic but she liked it.

Rika suddenly felt like she would burst if she didn't say it.

"Ryo…"

His beautiful eyes locked on her. Her breath caught in her throat.

"Ryo, I--"

Rika fell to the ground. She tried to get up again but the earth was shaking and she lost her balance. Ryo was still on his feet, but barely.

A loud rumbling shattered the air and dust rose in clouds around Rika's head. She started coughing violently and another rumble nearly knocked her over again. A large crack rent the earth several yards away from her and widened rapidly until it was ten feet across. A loud cry echoed towards her and she panicked.

"Ryo! RYO!" She made her way through the haze, her eyes stinging from the dust. As it settled she saw the newly formed chasm. A hand was gripping the edge of it. Ryo had been standing right over the crack and had barely found a handhold in time.

"Rika." His voice was weak and shaky and he coughed. He was slowly losing his grip on the ledge.

Rika was still too far away to reach him. "Ryo, hang on!" She ran towards him as his fingers slipped off the ledge one by one. He let go completely just as she reached him, and she grabbed at the air for his hand. Rika touched his fingertips but he fell out of her grasp. She watched in mute horror as he dropped, slowly, slowly, into the roiling, seething red mass of Chaos far below, his mouth open in a silent gasp.

"RYOOOO!!" Rika shut her eyes and threw herself forward, but strong arms caught her around the waist and hauled her away from the chasm.

She turned around and fell into Henry's arms, blinded by tears.

*

"It's okay. It's okay, Rika. Let it all out." Henry embraced his friend, letting her cry into his chest. A few yards away he saw Guilmon and Renamon Fighting to restrain Ryo's digimon, who was struggling to go after his tamer. The scene nearly broke his heart.

Behind him Henry knew without looking that everyone was staring dumbly, probably unable to believe that Rika could cry at all, never mind so hard.

Rika lifted her head and drew a shuddering breath. "Henry…I had his hand and I let him go…"

Henry looked at her with all of the sympathy in his being. "It wasn't your fault, Rika."

She buried her face in his chest again, overcome with fresh tears. All he could do was stand there and hold her while she poured it all out.

"It's not fair Henry…" Her voice was muffled by his T-shirt.

She looked up at him again, her eyes red and blotchy. "I never got to tell Ryo I loved him."

*******************************************************************************************

Author's Note: Oh no, I killed Ryo! I bet I'll be shot through with fiery arrows for that. But before you get your bow out, just let me explain myself. I didn't want a happy ending, because I thought that would make the whole story sound very stupid. This ending was kind of cliched as it is. I admit it was a little sad, but I thought it needed to be done. Go read one of the millions of happy stories now to make yourself feel better. Jaa ne.

**I have just recently written a sequel to this story, called Kiss of an Angel. There is more Rika/Ryo in it. Please go read and review. It's happier, I promise! ^.^ **